Valve's annual Steam Autumn sale is live but there's a twist

The annual Steam Autumn sale – this year, dubbed the Exploration Sale – is now live. Before rushing over to check out the deals, you’ll want to know that Valve is taking a different approach with this year’s sale.

Also of interest is the 3D Realms Anthology, a 32-game mega collection of classic Apogee / 3D Realms games that can be had for $9.99, or 75 percent off. This could be one of your last opportunities to buy the collection as it will no longer be offered after the New Year.

What’s different this year is the fact that Valve has retired its revolving selection of daily and flash sales. Instead, all discounts will remain the same throughout the sale, regardless of whether or not they’re featured on the front page.

This is sure to upset some as the perception will be that developers will be less inclined to offer their games at a mega discount for the duration of the sale. On the other hand, consistent pricing means you won’t need to continually refresh the front page to see hot deals – time that can be spent doing other things, like playing the games you’ve just purchased.

The Steam Autumn Exploration sale runs through 10 am PST on December 1.